​US nixes Persian Gulf summit amid divisions among allies

The White House has canceled plans for a meeting later this month between President Barack Obama and Persian Gulf monarchs in Saudi Arabia based on tensions among US allies in the region, sources told The Wall Street Journal.

The summit was to include leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) nations, which includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab
Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait. Diplomats informed of
the decision to scuttle the meeting said the cancellation
symbolizes the tumultuous political climate in the Middle East.

The US has worked with the GCC on security and economic issues in
recent years, but the main points of contention include Syria’s
civil war and Iran’s nuclear operations.

In addition, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and
Bahrain withdrew ambassadors from Qatar this month based on
its support for the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood group.

The US scrapped the summit upon the recommendation of many of the
GCC countries, officials said.

"It's unfortunate, because we thought it was important to
have such a high-level dialogue," a senior Arab official
told The Wall Street Journal.

The White House did not comment.

Obama will, though, meet face-to-face with Saudi Arabia’s King
Abdullah in Riyadh next week at the conclusion of a trip mostly
focused on Europe and the ongoing strife in Ukraine. The meeting
will certainly address tensions between Washington and Riyadh
over the Obama administration’s secret talks with Shiite Iran –
the Sunni kingdom’s top regional rival – and the failure of the
US to follow through with military force against Syrian President
Bashar Assad, Arab officials said.

The US Treasury Department said it has seen the recent transfer
of large amounts of funding from charities and social media sites
based in Qatar and Kuwait to Sunni extremists fighting the Shiite-led Iraqi government and Iran’s
ally Syria, including Al Nusra Front, which is linked to
Al-Qaeda. Qatar also harbors members of Hamas, officials say, a
Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the US
and the European Union.

"Qatar, a longtime US ally, has for many years openly
financed Hamas, a group that continues to undermine regional
stability," the US Treasury Department's top
counterterrorism official, David Cohen, said this month.
"Press reports indicate that the Qatari government is also
supporting extremist groups operating in Syria. To say the least,
this threatens to aggravate an already volatile situation."

Cohen added that Kuwait "has become the epicenter of
fundraising for terrorist groups in Syria."

Qatar and Kuwait officials have denied the accusations of support
for alleged terror groups.

Qatari officials say their support for the Muslim Brotherhood is
not out of bounds, as they believe the group to be a legitimate
organization.

"Qatar has chosen not to remain on the fringe of history, and
decided to play a significant role in world affairs…[and] work to
halt fierce conflicts and care for refugees," Qatari Foreign
Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah said in a speech earlier
this month.

Backing the Brotherhood and ousted former Egyptian President
Mohammed Morsi, Qatar ran afoul of the Saudis and the UAE, which
have invested heavily in supporting the new military-led regime
in Cairo.

The US is closely tied with the GCC countries, supplying them
with billions of dollars in weapons and maintaining military
bases in Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain, which hosts the US
Navy’s Fifth fleet.

Yet the countries are divided over US efforts to work with Iran
to scale back its nuclear program. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and
Bahrain say Washington isn’t doing enough to force Tehran’s hand,
while Oman, for instance, has played a role in mediating the
nuclear talks.